1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of fire safety devices for firefighters.
2. Description of the Related Art
Firefighters often find themselves fighting fires in changing environmental conditions. For example, firefighters fighting wildfires are at the mercy of changing wind velocities and directions. At one moment, the firefighters appear to be successfully fighting a fire that is being driven away from them. Only minutes later, the wind may change directions and start blowing the fire toward the firefighters at very high velocities (e.g., up to ¼ mile per minute), which is much faster than the firefighters are able to travel over rough, vegetated terrain. Although firefighters carry portable shelters, such shelters are not always effective against such intense flash fires driven by high winds through thick vegetation. Accordingly, a need continues to exist for a portable fire protection shelter that can be deployed quickly and that can provide protection against the intense heat of wind-driven fires.